THE COLUMNS. Houston'Lay' School'of'Theology' Houston Lay School of Theology. Sunday s Readings

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1 Houston Lay School of Theology PAUL THE APOSTLE SCOTUS ANNOUNCEMENT SERVICE AT BERING Sunday s Readings PSALM 9: CORINTHIANS PRIDE WEEK JUNE 21-27, 2015 THE COLUMNS Houston'Lay' School'of'Theology' The Houston Lay School of Theology is sponsored by Southern Methodist University s Perkins School of Theology, in cooperation with the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and St. Paul s United Methodist Church of Houston. The school meets each January and August, offering an opportunity for laity and others to explore issues of spirituality, theology, religion, and church leadership with faculty and leaders from Perkins. Houston Lay School 2015 is August 8, Register now BERINGUMC.ORG!1

2 SCOTUS Announcement On the day the Supreme Court of the United States announces the Marriage Equality ruling, Bering will host an impromptu worship service that evening at 8:00 pm. These announcements are usually on Thursdays or Mondays, so time is short. Go to beringumc.org and get involved! We will hold the service no matter what the ruling is - happy or sad.! Prayer Concerns Young Adults Ministry Scott s sister Angie C. Mary s daughter, Erin T. Becky s sister, Shelly S. Colby s brother, Johnny R. Open Gate PRIDE Parade and Booth Want to help with the float? Arrive at the church at 3:00 pm, June Free T-shirt if you help for four hours! Want to ride/walk in the parade? Arrive at the church at 6:30 pm to carpool - June 27. Designate Bering as your charity at Kroger and Randalls. The parade begins at 8:30 pm. The staging loca%on'is'on Travis, close to Dallas, slot 39. ' BERINGUMC.ORG!2

3 Sunday s Readings The First Lesson Psalm 9:9 20 Lector (People seated, reading responsively) For you, Adonai, are a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your Name trust in you, for you have never forsaken those who seek you, Adonai. Sing praise to Our God enthroned in Zion, declare God s work among the nations! For the One who avenges blood remembers them, and doesn t ignore the cry of the afflicted. Have mercy on me, Adonai! See what I suffer from those who hate me! Lift me up from the gates of death, that I may recount all your praises that in the gates of the Daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your deliverance! The nations have fallen into the pit they dug, the net they set caught their own feet. In passing sentence, you are manifest; you are known, Adonai, for your just judgments: the violent are trapped by the work of their own hands. Sheo will become the home of the godless all those who forget Our God. But the needy will not always be forgotten, the hope of the poor will not be lost forever. Arise, Adonai! Don t let them be victorious! Let the nations be judged in your presence! Strike them with terror, Adonai, and let the nations know that they are only human. The Second Lesson 2 Corinthians 6:1 13 Lector As Christ s co-workers we beg you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For God says through Isaiah, At the acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation, I helped you. Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation! We take pains to avoid giving offense to anyone, for we don t want our ministry to be blamed. Instead, in all that we do we try to present ourselves as ministers of God, acting with patient endurance amid trials, difficulties, distresses, beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger. We conduct ourselves with innocence, knowledge, patience, and kindness in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love, with the message of truth and the power of God, wielding the weapons of justice with both right hand and left regardless of whether we are honored or dishonored, spoken of favorably for unfavorably. We are called impostors, yet we are truthful; we are called unknowns, yet we are famous; we are said to be dying, yet we are alive; punished, but not put to death; sorrowful, though we are always rejoicing; poor, yet we enrich many. We seem to have nothing, yet we possess everything! We have spoken frankly to you, Corinthians; we ve opened our hearts wide to you. We re not holding anything back; you, on the other hand, are holding back your affection from us. It would be a fair exchange I speak as to my children if you d open your hearts as widely to us as we do to you. Lector: The Word of God. Thanks be to God BERINGUMC.ORG!3

4 The Gospel Read from Among the People Mark 4:35 41 Lay Reader (People standing) Leader: The Gospel of Jesus Christ. May the Spirit work within us. With the coming of evening that same day, Jesus said to the disciples, Let s cross over to the other shore. Leaving the crowd behind, they took Jesus in the boat in which he was sitting. There were other boats with them. Then a fierce gale arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat so much that it was almost swamped. But Jesus was in the stern through it all, sound asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said, Teacher, doesn t it matter to you that we re going to drown? Jesus awoke, rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Quiet! Be calm! And the wind dropped and everything was perfectly calm. Jesus then said to the disciples, Why were you so frightened? Have you no faith? But they became filled with fear and said to one another, Who is this, whom even the wind and sea obey? Leader: The Holy Gospel. Praise to you, O Christ. Bering T-Shirts Have Arrived The new Bering T-shirts are available for purchase. Order sheets are in the back of the Sanctuary. First priority given to those participating in parade BERINGUMC.ORG!4

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